The Story
by ShadowsWeaver1
Summary: Something is happening to Sesshomaru, and only Kagome knows the secret. What was Inu no Taisho thinking when he forged those fangs of his?
1. Chapter 1

The Story

Kagome walked through the trees, the bright light of the morn spilling down on her through the thick canopy of branches overhead. She was alone, not a terribly unusual situation for the young woman. She had taken to the walks a sparse two months after she had first fallen down the well that brought her to the feudal era.

It wasn't the beauty of the forests, the natural tranquility offered to her in a world apart from the advancement of technology and the domination of the world by man, it wasn't even the way the breezes would drift by her and sing to her sweet melodies of promise and hope; it was the way she could escape when she walked.

Escape from what, you may ask. Well, there is a list, a very long list to be more specific. But a few of the top numbers should be sufficient.

A loud-mouthed hanyou that wouldn't know how to issue a compliment or even act civilly for more than two seconds who was always spouting the most degrading and hurtful things to her. Point number one: She was no one's punching bag.

Of course, there was always the fact that she was in love (or at least believed herself to be in love) with that same hanyou who just so happened to be in love with a dead miko (the very same one from whom she was reincarnated and who she looked almost identical to), and that dead miko still walked the earth and enjoyed making unexpected arrivals into their company and stealing said hanyou away into her arms…or the early grave that she wished for him. Point number two: she really, REALLY, disliked catching the two of them together in their 'star-crossed lover' moments. And seriously! Couldn't Inuyasha pull that nose of his from sniffing in the scent of death, bones, and graveyard soil to pick up on her scent BEFORE she managed to stumble upon them?

Then there was the perverted monk that was constantly asking her (or any other young woman he met) to bear his children, or attempting to rub his so called 'cursed' hand over their asses. Though Kagome knew full well that the beads wrapped around the monk's hand were in fact there to keep a terrible curse set upon him at bay, she was very tempted to believe that his curse was spawned more from his lechery that from the dark hanyou they tracked across the continent. Point number three: her ass was not a piece of meat to be fondled! Unless, of course, she wanted to be fondled...but when it came to the lecherous monk, the answer was a determined Hell No!

And with the mention of the dark hanyou, that brings us to point number four: She desperately hated the fates for making her the guardian of the blasted jewel that the bastard Naraku was intent to acquire. Bastard. She usually wouldn't use such words (that was Inuyasha's department); but in the case of Naraku, she was more than willing to make an exception.

So, as you can surely tell, the little miko named Kagome had her hands full with problems. But she wasn't about to let them get the better of her. That's why, as she had so often done in the past, we find the little miko taking a nice long stroll through the beautiful forests of the feudal era. She was alone, but she wasn't stupid. Her bow and quiver of arrows was strung firmly across her shoulder, ready for any creature that would dare interfere with her privacy. And though she wasn't all that trained with her miko powers, she knew the basics. Besides, anything that was powerful enough to take her, it had been her experience that such beings usually wanted something more for the effort; leaving them open to their one-way ticket to the netherworld once Inuyasha caught up with them.

And so she walked through the bright rays of the afternoon without fear, taking in the beauty all around her and letting her thoughts drift to happy memories and pleasant feelings. So lost in her own thoughts, that when the young miko stepped through another clustering of trees into a small clearing, it took her a moment to recognize what she was seeing.

Kagome starred wide-eyed at the magnificent waterfall before her. The cliff over which the water flowed towered over her to at least twenty feet; and the stream of water was a constant rush that bombarded the rocks below. But where the water fell, the rocks had been molded and shaped into a great basin to catch the constant fall, surrounded by great projections of stone which had been dulled from their sharp points to gentle curves to resemble slender fingers reaching upwards to embrace the falling water.

At the base of the cliff, the water flowed from the basin in a gentle stream, winding its way out of the clearing to be engulfed by the trees of the forest.

It was a beautiful sight, and it took her breath away. It also gave her an idea. There was no one around, after all; and it just wouldn't do to let this magnificent waterfall go to waste. So, with the decision made that she was going to make the very best of this discovery; Kagome lowered her pack and her weapons to the ground at her feet. She slipped off her shoes, taking a moment to wiggle her toes in the lush grass that had been sprinkled with a faint covering of moisture from the spray of the falls, before she slipped her way out of her short skirt and light blouse.

Clad only in her braw and matching panties, the little miko giggled lightly to herself in anticipation as she approached the water. She could just imagine how wonderful it was going to feel to have the cool water washing over her skin, cooling it from the heat of the summer sun and cleansing away the dust and dirt that had settled itself upon her as she had made her way through the forest.

She paused just at the edge of the large basin that collected the falling waters, sticking a single toe into the water to test its temperature. It was perfect; cool and soothing, but not too cold. She pulled her toe back and planted her feet firmly on the ground.

"One…Two…Three!"

With an excited squeal, she leapt into the crystal-clear waters. Her head burst out from under the water and she took in a deep breath, the happy smile produced by her enjoyment of this experience never leaving her lips. But, enjoying the cool waters of the pool was not on the top of the list for the young miko's planned activities. She swam with lazy strokes over to the falling water, giggling lightly and happily when she felt it raining down onto her.

After a moment of enjoying the fall of the water, Kagome started to look around for a natural shelf in the rock where she could more fully enjoy her experience. She cried out triumphantly when she saw that just behind the fall of the water, that there was a wonderful flattened area. She quickly made her way over to it, pulling herself up onto the ledge with a determined heave.

When she stood, she realized that she was standing at the entrance to a cave. Behind the wall of the falling waters, the sun's light was dimmed and she could only see a short distance into the shadows cast by the rock. But amidst the dark shadows, she caught sight of something frightening.

Dark eyes of blood red stared out at her from the entrance of the cave.

Kagome's miko powers surged up within her when the threat of what she was facing was realized, but she wasn't given an opportunity to do anything before the creature lunged forth towards her. She screamed and tried to move away, but in doing so, she slipped from the edge of the small platform she was standing on and fell backwards into the water of the pool.

However, before she was immersed by the water, Kagome caught sight of what had been hidden in the shadows. A snake youkai that had coiled itself within the rocks was slithering out from its hiding place, its pitched tongue licking at the air to scent its prey, and its fangs growing, readying themselves to sink into flesh and deposit their potent poison.

The second she hit the water, Kagome was turning herself over and moving her limbs in strong strokes to propel her away from the falls and the demon emerging from behind them. Without even stopping for breath, she made it to the other side of the little pool of water. Before she pulled herself out though, she spared a look behind her to see how much time she had.

As it turned out, she didn't have any. The snake had lowered itself into the cool waters of the pool and was using the strong muscles of its slithering length to push itself towards her at alarming speeds.

Realizing that she wouldn't be able to pull herself from the water in time to escape the demon, Kagome braced herself against the rocks at the edge of the pool and waited for the demon to come to her. So long as she could avoid the poison-infused fangs of the beast and keep the long body from entrapping her in its grasp, she figured she would be just fine.

With one final powerful thrust from its body, the snake launched itself from the surface of the water towards the young miko, its jaws wide to expose its fangs.

Kagome quickly threw herself to the side to avoid the bite of the beast, but at the same time, she managed to wrap her hands around the slick, scaly neck of the creature. The snake's neck was so thick, her hands barely reached the entire way around, but still she managed to hold it fast, keeping the snapping jaws of the snake away from her flesh.

She found her footing again quickly, and, after bracing herself against the rocks once more, Kagome used the leverage granted to her by the buoyancy of the water keeping the snake afloat to swing its body around and slam it into the rocks at the edge of the pool. The snake hissed and recoiled from her when it was hit by the pain of being hammered into the stone, and Kagome didn't waste any of the few moments of the youkai's distraction. She spun quickly and pulled herself from the pool, making a dash for her weapons the second she had gained the ground again.

But she wouldn't make it in time. With her bow only an arm's reach away, Kagome heard the rustling of the grasses in the clearing that marked the passage of the youkai. She threw herself to the ground an instant before the beast would have struck her, avoiding its deadly fangs by only inches. The landing jarred her body painfully, but she pushed all of her strength into forcing her body to roll so that she could gain her feet again.

But again the snake was coming for her, and again Kagome was forced to take a dive to avoid being captured by its fangs. This time though, she managed to throw herself in the direction of her supplies, catching her bow in her hands as she rolled trough to her feet. She smirked to herself as she pulled back to face the advancing snake. She knew that the low-level youkai would stand no chance against her now. Even without an arrow to string in her bow, she was more than well enough armed to face a creature of such low power levels.

As she turned back to the snake, she found it coiling back, preparing to strike once again. She was ready for it, waiting. All it needed to do was come within range of her strike and even the smallest amount of power she could infuse into her bow would be enough to bring it down. The moment came, the creature lashed out at her; and in response she swung hard the bow in her grasp.

One second, perhaps even less, would have been all that she needed to turn the youkai into glittering ash of purity and light. Only one second, and yet she would not be grated it. Before the weapon in her hands could come in contact with the snake, before she would be given the chance to turn it to harmless dust upon the wind; the creature was ripped into bloodied shreds of flesh which splattered out in every direction, covering her from head to toe in thick, sticky, sickening grime and guts and gore.

Kagome couldn't help but to take a moment to stare wide-eyed in shock and horror at the spot where the youkai once was, but soon her attention was diverted to her body which was currently dripping with putrid leavings from the snake.

"Alright," she bit out angrily, her eyes dark with rage as she allowed them to sweep over the little clearing. "Who's the wise-guy?"

When no answer was forthcoming from the deserted clearing, Kagome concentrated her energy into stretching out her sixth sense, searching without her eyes for the presence which had brought the snake to such a disgusting and not to mention messy end. It really didn't take very long for her to discover the very powerful presence. Whoever it was, they were keeping themselves concealed within the trees. And though Kagome wasn't all that thrilled about being watched, she wasn't about to hastily yell out that she knew that she was being watched and from where. She may be young, but she was far from stupid.

So, using her best acting abilities, Kagome shrugged her shoulders in indifference, slowly pulled herself to her feet and made her way over to her pack. She made a show of gathering her supplies from the ground, using it as a diversion to slip an arrow from her quiver. Once she had it in her hand, in a movement of such swiftness that she even surprised herself, Kagome strung the arrow into her bow and wheeled about to release a shot directly where she had felt the other presence.

Her arrow was immediately immersed in the brilliant hues of her powers, showering the clearing with waves of glittering light that fell from its path. The arrow ripped through the foliage at the edge of the clearing with ease, eventually becoming embedded deeply in a large tree several yards from where it had entered the bush.

"I don't know who's there!" She called out angrily. "But you better show yourself or else I will make sure my arrows purify your ass all the way to hell!"

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind ripped across Kagome exposed flesh. She shivered violently and tightened her grip on the bow in her hands...At least she would have tightened her grip on the bow if it was still in her hands. Her fingers closed around nothing. Her bow had been taken from her and she hadn't even seen any movement.

"A pretty toy, miko."

The deep, velvety voice from behind her had Kagome turning around in a startled daze. When she finally set eyes on the youkai that had relieved her of her weapon, she gasped in both fright and uncertainty. This youkai was powerful, far too powerful for her to try taking on alone; but he was also not…exclusively….her enemy. Though he had made attempts on her life in the past, he had not shown any special desire to see her dead. And then there was also the fact that he was Inuyasha's elder brother.

His hardened golden eyes locked on to hers, the ice covering them never revealing any hint of what he was thinking or planning and freezing her to her spot.

"Did you truly believe that such pathetic attempts would ever hold power against this Sesshomaru?"

"Sesshomaru?"

For a time, Kagome was lost in her irrational line of thought that went something along the lines of, 'Sesshomaru saved me? Wait a minute! Who said I needed saving! Though I would feel better if I had my bow back right about now. Then again, it's nice that he's holding onto that and not his sword. Though I'd have to say he looks very sexy when he's holding that sword and his energy is crackling around him making his hair dance in a wild storm and…Oh My God! Was I just checking out Sesshomaru??!! Did I hit my head? And what the hell is that thing on my nose?'

Kagome reached up distractedly to brush against her nose to remove the glob of…something…which had settled itself there. When her hand came in contact with the warm, sticky, mushy remains of the serpent youkai however, she was reminded in force what had brought her face-to-face with Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru!" she screamed at him, her hands balling at her sides into angered fists. "What the hell did you think you were doing??!! I was handling that snake just fine! There was no need for your interference!"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed dangerously on the little miko before him. "Miko," his tone was thick with unforgiving ice, "What makes you believe the serpent was my intended target?"

"Oh please," she huffed in aggravation. "As if you, Mr. Killing Perfection himself, would miss a target. In fact, I can't even believe your ego would allow you to admit that you missed; even if you were lying."

"You accuse me of lying?"

"If the shoe fits."

Before she knew it, Kagome found herself caught firmly in Sesshomaru's vice-like grip. His fingers wrapped around her throat without mercy, suffocating and crushing at once. He had lifted her in the air, nothing supporting her but for his hand and her delicate throat that was giving out under such pressures.

"No human whore will ever show such disrespect to this Sesshomaru."

Kagome's eyes snapped up to meet with his, her fear replaced with righteous anger and indignation which mirrored in the deep cobalt of her eyes as they flashed dark in her fury. All around her the air sparked with currents of electricity that danced and surged with tremendous waves of pure power.

"This miko is no man's whore!" she choked out through her constrained vocal chords.

Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow at the girl. The energy around him was becoming nearly annoying. Surely, it was not enough to cause any real harm to him; but still, it wasn't very good for his skin. Still, she had openly disrespected him one too many times for his liking and she was overdue for her punishment. That and, he really didn't like it when people tried to call him on his bluffs…even if they were slightly obvious.

Why was it that he could never keep his thoughts straight whenever this annoying human was around him? What was it about her that made him act so out of character? Because really, coming to the aid of damsels in distress really wasn't his thing. Actually, it was usually him that was causing the distress. So then why was it he had been compelled to strike out against the youkai that was attacking the little miko? She was his brother's wench for Kami's sake!

He was brought out of his thoughts when the weight he had been holding went limp in his hands. Wonderful, just bloody wonderful. The wench had managed to distract him so much that he had actually allowed her to pass out. He really needed to do something about her. If he didn't, and soon, he might end up missing another appendage, and with his arms coming in short supply these days, he wasn't very eager to find out what else he could be relieved of due to this troublesome girl.

Sesshomaru released Kagome, allowing her to fall uninhibitedly to the ground and land in a tangled heap of unconscious limbs. He scoffed slightly at the sight of her. How was it possible that she would take such offense to being called a whore when she dressed as she did? The girl was showing more skin than most men even see when in bed with their wives. He could see the soft rise and curve of her breast and even the deep valley formed between the bounteous mounds, and the swell of her hips was left completely bare, leaving only the tiny straps crossing across them; he could even see the soft rise beneath the delicate cloth where her…

Kagome awoke from blackness of her unconsciousness with a jerk, and Sesshomaru couldn't have been more grateful. His thoughts were definitely going into places they had no business being. At least when the girl was awake, her flapping mouth would remind him exactly why he had such distain for humans.

Kagome groaned as she slowly lifted herself from the ground. This was just not her day. Here she had been trying to get away from her problems, and instead, she got attacked by a youkai, doused in that demon's innards when another, even more powerful, youkai decided to pay her a visit, and now she was waking up from being knocked unconscious by that same powerful youkai just because his damn male ego couldn't handle the fact that she had called his bluff.

She sighed. She supposed she didn't really have to ask what brought up his comment about her promiscuity. Of course, she was pretty sure that he would never look at her body in a million years. In her mind, she could be standing stark naked in the middle of a field strewn with aphrodisiac flowers and all Sesshomaru would do was scoff in her general direction spouting out something along the lines of how her pathetic human presence was ruining how pretty he looked standing all regal and the such in the field of flowers.

That thought though gave the miko a little smile of amusement. She stood with renewed enthusiasm, the song of 'I'm too Sexy' running through her head. When she was finally on her feet and facing Sesshomaru again, she cleared her throat and began speaking.

"If it is not too much trouble for you, Sesshomaru-sama," she added the honorific to his name with just enough obstinacy to make his glare narrow on her in a most dangerous way, but she stubbornly ignored it and continued. "I am going to go and wash off all of this demon slime that you were so gracious as to cover me in."

With that, Kagome spun on her heel and started towards the water she had just emerged from. Of course though, she would not make it to the little pool just yet.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You might have to forgive this Shadow if this story doesn't seem to flow properly. I set this fic up to run sort of like a 'Choose your own adventure' sort of thing on A single Spark, so it might not make all that much sense if you can't see the different options that were given to the readers there. Shrugs whatever, it's still a story, right?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except perhaps my overactive imagination that won't sit still long enough to get over one block before it decides that it needs to do something else.


	2. Chapter 2

When the Occasion Merits

Kagome had hardly made it two steps when Sesshomaru seemed to materialize right in front of her and drew her to a halt.

"What??!!" she snapped at him in irritation.

"I believe it is customary to wait for a response before jumping to your own conclusions."

"Well, Lord Sesshomaru," she bit out in a new rush of anger. "I wouldn't want to offend your sensitive nose with my human stench! So why don't you just Get Out Of My Way??!!"

"Woman, stop…" Now, he was certain there was something that was supposed to follow that statement. Stop screeching, stop supposing she could tell him what to do, stop insinuating she knew what he was thinking, stop looking so positively enticing with the way she trembled slightly in her anger and her skin flushed a hot pink and her eyes blazed with solid conviction an fury, stop…just stop! Damn that blasted miko!

After waiting for a minute for Sesshomaru to finish whatever he had started and realizing that he had no intention of continuing, Kagome decided that there was definitely something wrong with him. She had never known him to falter for any reason, and yet now he seemed to pause as though he was uncertain of himself. It just wasn't right. This was the guy that was so full of himself he put even Naraku's self-absorption look like a mild case of self-indulgence. Though she supposed Sesshomaru had every right to be high on himself being that he was the Lord of the entire western domain, it was still very out of character for him to allow himself to become distracted by anything.

So, being the very direct person that she is, Kagome decided that she should just ask.

"Are you ok? You seem distracted or something."

"The affairs of this Sesshomaru are none of your concern, miko." He knew he needed to put an end to this discussion, and fast. So, figuring the quickest way about it would be to put the woman back into her state of aggravation, Sesshomaru fell back on something he knew well how to do: degrading those who were beneath him. "However, your stench is very distracting."

"Well excuse me!" Kagome was just not having a good day. She had thought she could be nice to Sesshomaru by asking what was bothering him, but if he wanted to throw her compassion back in her face by treating her like dirt, then he could just go suck eggs! "If it so displeases his lordship, then perhaps he would be so gracious as to allow me passage to the water so that I could remove the source of the problem!"

"Do as you please."

With that, Sesshomaru turned away from the young miko and freed her path towards the waters. He was sorely tempted to just leave her there and be on his way, however, there was the slight issue of why he had been near to this area in the first place. He knew that though the sun was still shining now, within the next hour or so, the coming storm would blow in. And he hated being wet. There was just nothing that annoyed him more than smelling like something the cat dragged in after a storm…especially since he was a dog.

He heard the miko splash into the water behind him, heard her contented sigh as she began washing away the sticky leavings of the serpent youkai, and once again cursed the girl for making him think of her in any way that involved anything other than killing her. At the moment though, all he could seem to focus on was what that cold water would be doing to her sensitive skin.

He forced his thoughts to return to something more pressing: like how he was going to rid himself of the miko before the rains came. He had no intention of being trapped in the storm, and he was not enthused about the idea of sharing his shelter with anyone, let alone a human female who seemed to have the uncanny ability to put his mind in the worst possible places. She was human! There was nothing that the girl could offer him. And besides that, he already had one human that had come to be dependant upon him, the last thing he needed was to add another into the mix.

Finally, he heard the girl exit the water and begin rustling through the supplies of her pack. At least she might put something more appropriate on. Then again, he had never known the miko to wear anything appropriate, so he supposed he should have very high hopes that this time would be any different. Still, there was worse things than the girl's choice of clothing…such as the fact that now that she had cleaned herself of the snake's putrid remains she smelt fresh and clean and unmistakably in heat.

A soft growl of aggravation began rumbling in Sesshomaru's chest. How was it that humans could have such regular cycles of fertility? It was bad enough that the bitches he knew went into heat twice a year, he couldn't imagine how chaotic it would be if they were to run through twelve cycles in a year. In fact, it was probably a good thing being that it was likely that he would have disposed of more than the few females that had tried to entice him in the past, and he wasn't altogether fond of the idea of being the last of his kind.

"Sesshomaru?"

The miko's small voice from behind him made him turn to face her. She was clothed in her regular attire of a skirt too short to leave anything to the imagination and a blouse so thin it was nearly transparent…a fact not at all helped by the fact that the miko had neglected to remove her water-soaked undergarment when she had dressed. Still, it was an improvement, and she had even applied some sort of lightly scented perfume which served to dull the intensity of her scent…though only slightly.

Still, he figured, at least it couldn't get any worse. Oh, but how wrong he was.

Kagome fidgeted slightly once Sesshomaru had turned to her and she had his attention again. There was just something in the way he was looking at her that put her on edge. It wasn't his trademark death glare; no, this particular glare was far more unsettling. If she were to put a word to it, she would have to go with hungry…but, of course, she had no idea what kind of hunger and no desire to find out. The guy was seriously scary, and she had very little in the ways of means to defend herself.

After her dip in the cool waters below the waterfall, Kagome's anger had calmed. However, though she was no longer angry about being covered in demon slime, she was still no less anxious about the fact that it had been Sesshomaru to come to her aid and that he was still in the little clearing and showing no apparent signs that he was willing to leave.

So now she was left with a problem. What in the world was she going to do? She knew that she needed to get back to Inuyasha, if she didn't the hanyou would come out looking for her; and the last thing she needed was for Inuyasha to come across her and Sesshomaru together. She just knew that that little scene wouldn't end well. In fact, she probably couldn't even count the gallons of blood that would be lost due to the encounter on one hand.

Her thoughts were wild and scattered as she tried to come up with a plan. 'Come on Kagome, think! Cold demon lord who has tried to kill you and your friends is currently standing in front of you, what do you do? Ok, he doesn't seem to want to kill me right now. That's good. But why is he here? And would it kill him to not be so bloody distracting with all his perfection. Geeze they sure hit the nail on the head when they named this one. Why is he looking at me like that? Say something! Anything! Oh wait; I said something to him, didn't I? Shit! Now he's waiting for me to say something else!"

"Ummm…"

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Kagome's oh so intelligent line of thought was interrupted when a loud crash of turbulent energy in the air sounded out. She squeaked in surprise and snapped her head up to the sky, seeing through the opening in the trees overhead the dark clouds that were moving swiftly across the sky to settle over them.

"Well that's just great," she spit out angrily. She looked back to Sesshomaru, asking her next question with only a mild amount of anxiety. "How long will it be until the rain comes?"

Sesshomaru eyed the girl for a moment as he decided how he would answer her question. He knew that if he told her that the rain would begin to fall within the next ten to fifteen minutes that she would immediately seek out shelter, but if he were to stretch that time to twenty minutes or more that the miko would likely leave his company in search of his whelp of a brother. Decisions, decisions. Then again, if the miko were to seek out shelter in the cave as he knew she would, that would afford him the perfect opportunity to discover just what it was about the girl that affected him so. So, with that in mind, he answered her question truthfully.

"The rain will begin falling on this location in approximately ten minutes."

Kagome sighed heavily at that revelation. It had taken her at least a half an hour to reach this place, maybe even more since she hadn't really been keeping track of the time. She would never make it back to Inuyasha in time. A small whining noise of frustration and indecision left her as she sorted through her options, but she finally came to the conclusion that she didn't have that many appealing options and that the cave behind the waterfall was likely going to be her best bet to keep even remotely dry until the rains had past.

Finally, she looked back to Sesshomaru. "Well, I don't know about you, but I don't like being wet. Now, would you be so kind as to give me back my bow so that I can protect myself should there be any more threats in that cave back there?"

Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow at the girl before responding to her. "There is nothing in that cave that would pose you any threat." He smirked, a truly terrifying visage. "That is, of course, if you are to exclude this Sesshomaru." Inwardly, Sesshomaru was pleased with the way the miko's jaw dropped open in horror and disbelief due to his comment, but outwardly his face remained set in its stoic mask and he began walking towards the cave. As he passed by the little miko though, he gave her one last warning. "It would serve you well to remember not to do such a thing, miko."

And with that, he brushed by her and left her to make her own decision.

Kagome stood staring after him in a state of shock for a moment, but another rumble of thunder overhead spurred her into action. She wasn't about to let herself get drenched just because some smug dog was trying to toy with her. Of course, it was very unsettling to know that Sesshomaru was toying with her. She figured that he would have better manners than to play with his food, but then again, she really didn't know him that well. She did, however, shiver lightly after her mind had placed her in the same category as Sesshomaru's dinner entrées.

Still, despite her hesitations about sharing the small cave behind the waterfall with Sesshomaru, Kagome grudgingly and guardedly began making her way towards the shelter. As she walked though, she wondered what Inuyasha would think of her current situation. She couldn't quite decide if the hanyou would be more bothered if he discovered that she had shared a shelter with his hated half-brother, or if she were to come back to him with a terrible cold caught from being drenched to the bone while walking stupidly through a downpour.

When she made it to the rocks surrounding the pool of water at the base of the falls, Kagome discovered a small path that would permit her dry passage behind the falls to the entrance of the cave. She followed it slowly, cautions of the water that had settled on the stone and made it slick under her feet. She passed behind the falls without incident, and soon found herself standing at the entrance to the cave. It was too dark for her to see clearly, so she maintained her caution as she edged herself deeper into the cave.

"This Sesshomaru does not recall offering to share his shelter with you, miko."

The voice from behind her had Kagome jumping in startled fright. She brought her hand up to her chest to try and calm her racing heart as she turned to him.

"Don't sneak up on people like that!" she scolded him, "You could have given me a heart attack!" Of course, then what he had said sunk in and Kagome was hit with a whole new kind of aggravation. "And what makes you think I need your permission to be here?" she demanded heatedly. "In case you haven't noticed, this is a cave, and I hardly see your name carved in the stone anywhere!"

Sesshomaru allowed one of his eyebrows to lift in response to the girl's stupidity. Did she not realize that she was in the middle of his territory and that meant that everything, be it cave of not, belonged to him? More so, this cave did technically have his name written all over it, though, of course, her weak human senses could not pick up on that fact.

However, instead of lowering himself to give a reply to the girl, he simply walked deeper into the cave and set his hand upon a depression in the stone. He allowed a small amount of his power to rise to the surface, conducting it through the stone. A loud thud that signaled the unlocking of a mechanism within the wall sounded, followed immediately by the sound of grinding stone on stone.

As, what appeared to be the back wall of the cave, began to slide away to reveal the passage leading deeper into the rock, Sesshomaru turned back to the miko, a small smirk of superiority gracing his lips when he caught sight of her startled and guilty expression.

"I'm…sorry," Kagome mumbled as she lowered her head to hide her blush of embarrassment. "Do you…ummm…live here?"

"It is a cave," he responded in his usual bored tone which made her realize just how stupid her question was. "It serves its purpose when the occasion merits."

Without another word to the miko, Sesshomaru turned and walked into the passageway he had opened.

Kagome remained where she was. She didn't want to intrude on him, she wasn't sure how well he would take it…and she really was quite fond of living. But she could feel the temperature dropping, and outside of the cave the winds had picked up to blow wildly and signaling the approaching storm. It was going to be a big one, and another loud crack of thunder from somewhere nearby only proved it.

A soft light from down the passageway where Sesshomaru had just disappeared brought Kagome's attention away from the building storm. She stared down the passageway for a long time in indecision, but eventually she found her resolve.

"When the occasion merits."

She repeated Sesshomaru's words, hoping silently that they were some sort of message for her, and then gulped down the nervous lump in her throat and started forward.

Kagome walked slowly through the passageway leading into the hidden cavern in the rock. As she walked, she began to take notice of the smooth surfaces of the stone surrounding her. It reminded her of the way the rocks outside had been eroded by the water to leave them without any rough surfaces, however, she knew that what she was seeing in this stone was nothing natural. Actually, it seemed very likely to her that the surfaces had been eroded by a corrosive substance, and Sesshomaru's poison was the first thing that came to mind.

Did he really carve out an entire cavern in the stone, she wondered? But why? Why would he do such a chore himself when he could just as easily assigned the task to one of his servants who would have been more than happy to clear several tons of rock in exchange for being permitted to breath another day of the Lord's air? Perhaps though, he found pleasure in doing the labor himself. Kagome had always taken him for the 'Do it yourself' type, mostly because she had assumed that no one's work would ever live up to his standards.

She was brought out of her thoughts when the passageway she had been walking down widened into a large cavern. It opened up all around her, walls and ceiling spreading out to create a massive space secluded within the stone of the cliff. In the centre of the room, a fire had been lighted in a large stone basin that rose up from the floor, but which wasn't set on the stone but carved out of it in one piece.

But the lighting in the room did not only come from the central fire. All around the room, at regular intervals along the walls, torches flared and cast off even more light. The attention to detail in this place was astounding. She could see storage compartments carved into one wall in which rested several types of supplies, from blankets and furs for comfort and warmth, to an assortment of tools and a variety parchments and scrolls. There were also different areas where small platforms had been carved to create tables around which scatterings of large pillows rested for seating. And at the far end of the room, she could see a dividing wall behind which she was most certain would be Sesshomaru's quarters.

The whole thing was magnificent. She had never seen anything like it. It most definitely put Koga's cave to shame, and this wasn't even Sesshomaru usual accommodations. She was simply in awe, and remained standing at the entrance to the room staring wide-eyed at the sight. Well, that is of course, until Sesshomaru began speaking to her.

"Miko, perhaps you would explain why you would enter my private chamber without permission."

She stiffened immediately and began frantically grasping for a reason as she slowly turned to face him. When she did set her eyes on him though, Kagome was almost certain that he was looking at her with amusement instead of anger…and that seriously pissed her off. What right did he have to toy with her for his own personal amusement? None, as far as she was concerned. And she wasn't going to stand for it.

"I don't know what your game is, Sesshomaru, but you clearly left that passage open for me. I think that is permission enough. Of course, if my presence bothers you so, you could always tell me to leave."

Kagome crossed her arms over her chest stiffly as she waited for his response. Truthfully, she really didn't want to leave. The cavern was amazing, and she couldn't think of a better place to wait out the storm than in the warm glow of the fires and seated on one of those giant pillows that she was sorely tempted to run over to and fling herself across to see just how fluffy they were…especially since she figured Sesshomaru would have nothing but the best in one of his dwellings…and she was certain that perfect ass of his never sat on anything that wasn't short of being exquisite.

After a few moment of and uncomfortable stare-down by Sesshomaru, Kagome was relieved to her his reply.

"Very well, miko, you may stay. However, there will be a price for your comfort."

"A what?" she squeaked out nervously. She really had no idea what kind of price Sesshomaru could be referring to, because the only exchange she had ever witnessed between him and another being was in blood. Of course, just because she had no idea what he was talking about, that didn't stop her imagination from supplying her with a possibility…one that Miroku would be so proud of. "Look, I don't know what you think I am, but whatever it is you want from me you can just forget it! I'd rather be out in the rain and catching cold then letting you get away with…whatever you're thinking about!"

With that, Kagome spun around on her heel and headed back towards the entrance.

"Information."

She paused in her step, slowly turning her head back to face Sesshomaru.

"Is that it?"

Sesshomaru smirked. "Was there something else you were hoping for?"

"No!" she snapped as she spun fully around to face him. "And I would thank you not to suggest such things!"

Honestly, Sesshomaru had no real intention of suggesting such a thing, but the miko's comment did not help his concentration on the situation at hand at all…especially considering his thoughts were likely none too productive anyways. He had seen her looking longingly at the pillows scattered at the other end of the room, and an unwelcome image of the girl sprawled out on those pillows wearing even less than she had been earlier and her skin flushed with something besides anger for a change had made its way into his head.

The girl was simply too much of a distraction, but now that he had his chance to finally get some answers from her without interference from his whelp of a brother, he was intent to find out why it was she always managed to throw him into such distraction. So, he turned from the girl and made his way over to the sitting area, fully expecting her to follow and disturbingly pleased when she did. He seated himself comfortably, made a substantial effort not to let the his satisfaction show when the little miko sighed in contented bliss when she sunk into the soft cushion across from him, then proceeded with his line of questioning.

"Why are you here?"

"Because it's raining?"

"I am quite aware of that fact, miko. However, that does not explain why you were alone in that clearing in the first place."

Kagome sighed. This information thing was turning out to be a whole lot more difficult that she was anticipating. She had been prepared to answer questions about Naraku and the progress she and her group had been making regarding the foul hanyou, but she had not expected personal questions about her state of affairs. Still, being that answering his questions was the only way Sesshomaru was going to let her stay, she figured she may as well give it a go.

"I go on walks sometimes to clear my head of all the problems I face. With Naraku's plots, my duty to the Shikon, and the fate of my friends always weighing down on me; sometimes I need some time alone to find myself again. I guess it's like my form of meditation, or something."

Kagome shrugged and looked away from Sesshomaru to signify that she was finished. He, however, wasn't buying into her explanation. Though what she said had been truthful, she was hiding something. Still, it wasn't quite time for him to ask her to elaborate on why she had left her companions on this day, so he proceeded in asking another question.

"Were you aware of your proximity to this Sesshomaru?"

"No!" Kagome replied hastily. "Of course not! If I had known you were nearby then I would have gone in the opposite direction."

Kagome gulped slightly when Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at her. She had thought that was what he would want to hear. Of course, she had also thought that it was very true. Wouldn't she be surprised when she discovered she was wrong on both counts?

"Then tell me, miko. Why is it that I have detected your presence approaching me on many occasions when you have separated yourself from your group?"

"You have?" Kagome was at a loss...a loss only perpetuated when she found herself staring into the endless gold of Sesshomaru's eyes. "But why would I be…I don't understand." She shook her head, effectively removing the daze that had been set upon her mind by Sesshomaru. "I never know where I'm going when I walk, just that I need to get away. I pick a direction and follow it; only turning back once all the hard feelings slip away and I feel normal again."

She blinked a few times in confusion, but finally found the nerve to look back up at Sesshomaru. "Sometimes," she began hesitantly, "I get this feeling like there's someone else with me. Sometimes I'm afraid…but most of the time, I just feel happy and safe. Why…" her breath caught and she looked away. She couldn't handle the implications of where this conversation was going.

Sesshomaru was no better off than Kagome when it came to the direction of their discussion. He had been hoping to catch the girl in a lie, discovering that she had actively been seeking him out, finding out that she was somehow using the pull of her miko powers to distract him; but unfortunately, the more he heard the girl speak, the more he realized that she knew as much about what was going on as him…which was basically nothing.

Still, he had become aware of the fact that the girl seemed to daze out on occasion; but he wasn't sure if it was her human nature or if whatever it was that caused him to loose his concentration around the girl was somehow affecting her as well. That thought though caused a low rumble of displeasure to shake through his chest. The human had no right to be thinking of him in such disrespectful ways! Not that he was saying it was right for him to be thinking of the miko in ways that didn't involve killing her but more to the point of having his carnal way with her, but it was different for him…or so he thought.

Kagome stiffened slightly when she heard Sesshomaru start growling lowly in displeasure. She hadn't meant to anger him, she was only answering his questions! Of course, her thoughts about trying to soothe over his tension and stopping the dangerous sound that he was making were quickly dismissed when she discovered that she had more pressing problems.

As it turns out, Kagome was just as distracted by Sesshomaru as he was by her, and in exactly the same manner. And where his growl of displeasure should have evoked a fearful response in the young miko, it elicited one of a whole different color. Red. Not red like blood or red like fury; no, for the little miko, the red she was seeing was that of lust and desire.

She could feel it in the way her whole body suddenly relaxed, the air in her lungs was released in a long sigh, and in the throbbing heat that had collected between her legs. The second Kagome realized what was happening to her, she immediately fought against her body's reaction to try and keep herself under control.

But her efforts would be in vain because Sesshomaru had already picked up on the scent of her arousal, and it had clouded his mind with lustful fever. He closed his eyes, drawing in long breaths of the woman's scent, feeling her heat coursing through him, driving him forward, begging him to claim her. When his eyes finally slipped back open, instead of placid golden surfaces covered in ice they were the burning crimson fires of his wild spirit.

"Sesshomaru?"

It wasn't so much the miko's voice that pulled through his haze, but more the fear that corrupted the scent of her and allowed him to break free. He fought against the raging fires within him that demanded him to take the bitch, locked away the animal that howled and roared its demands to be set free. The effort had him panting to catch his breath, but between unsteady draughts of air, he managed to find his voice.

"Leave."

His command was nothing more than a low growl, and Kagome wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly. She could see that something was causing him pain, and she wanted to help him but she hadn't the faintest idea as to how. She shifted slightly closer to him, hoping that she would be able to do something, but her movement caused Sesshomaru to snap his burning eyes open and focus on her.

She gasped in fright at the look in his eyes. Hunger. She knew it now. But it was no hunger for meat; his hunger would only be sated by one thing.

"GET OUT!"

Sesshomaru's thundering voice lifted up around him, hammering against the stone walls and causing them to tremble. Kagome didn't need any further encouragement. She scrambled up from her seated position and flew as fast as her feet would carry her to the exit. She ran without looking back, the whole while praying that Sesshomaru would hold back from the temptation of giving chase.

She made it out of the cave in no time, but she didn't stop there. She dashed out into the pouring rains without thought or care as to the howling winds or blowing rains, knowing far too well that they were the very least of her problems. She needed to get away from him. She needed to get back to Inuyasha where she would be safe. But even with that thought, after seeing what she had in Sesshomaru's eyes, she didn't even know if she would be safe with Inuyasha anymore.

But still she ran. She knew she couldn't face it, face him. She needed to get away, but the further she went the harder it was for her to keep running. The ground was slick with moisture, her footing was constantly slipping, and her muscles were beginning to tense from the sudden sprint, and there was something else, something she couldn't quite place her finger on but which pulled at her, telling her that she was going the wrong way.

Finally, as it was bound to happen, she slipped and lost her balance, crashing down hard against the mud-soaked ground. She sobbed heavily as she tried to pull herself up, but just as she had managed to lift her head, she saw him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except perhaps my overactive imagination that won't sit still long enough to get over one block before it decides that it needs to do something else.


	3. Chapter 3

Twist of Fate

The second the little miko had lifted herself from her position across from him, Sesshomaru cursed the girl for all he was worth for breaking into a dead run. Of course, were he in his right mind, he wouldn't have blamed her for wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible being that what he could have done to her in that moment would likely have been the end of her fragile human life. But he wasn't in his right mind, and the girl's flight only served to fuel the fires of his desire to take her.

He was an animal after all, and for the most primal parts of him, there was nothing so exhilarating or as deeply satisfying as the chase. The beast that he had locked away behind his hardened barriers of restraint thrashed and roared wildly from within its prison, breaking away from its restraints with every strained breath he took which carried with it the fading scent of his prey.

But while his mind and will strained to hold the beast within him at bay, there was something else at work which made his efforts in vain. It surged through him and stole away his control, it broke through his defenses as though they were nonexistent, and it allowed his beast, his baser instincts, to take hold of him, granting to them the control of his body.

He could feel the excitement and anticipation coursing through him when at last the thrill of the hunt was granted to him. It raced through his veins as hot fire, wild and dangerous and completely unstoppable. Even though he knew he must not, even though he still fought against it; he could not stop it.

His body moved of its own accord, led only by instinct and driven by the sole purpose of capturing his prey. He rose from where he had been seated, his movements slow and deliberate. A low growl of anticipation began rumbling through his chest as he drew in a long breath to catch the scent of the woman he sought, of the bitch that would be his. His eyes burned crimson red, blocking out the view of everything around him with the exception of the trail he would follow, which to him appeared as a bright light amongst the bloody hues.

She would be his. The chase was on. There was nothing now that could stand in his way.

He followed her out into the raging storm, the torrential rains impairing his sense of smell but not his ability to track. She had left a clear trail in her flight, and he followed it easily. In no time he had caught up with the little human, but rather than confronting her, he drew out the pleasure of the hunt, stalking her as she wound through the trees, reveling in her panic and fear, watching expectantly for the time when she would falter and become his at last.

He could taste her in the air. Her heated scent filled his head and his groins with painful wanting, and the crackling energy of her spirit toyed against his senses with its mystique and power. He wanted her like he had never wanted anything in his life. His carnal need was only matched by his sadistic pleasure as the beast within howled out in triumph with the knowledge that soon the hunt would come to its glorious end and that everything he desired would be his.

His low growls of anticipation and exhilaration were drowned out by the howling winds, but he was so focused on his prey that he could still hear her straining breaths as she pushed her body to its limits and the soft sobs of fear and pain that left her lips. But her distress and fear could not affect him now; he had become lost in the wild fires of his spirit, his rational mind locked down beneath the raging beast. And as the beast drew upon his instincts and stalked its prey, there was nothing Sesshomaru could do to stop it.

When at last the little miko fell to the ground Sesshomaru's lips lifted in a vicious smile that revealed the deadly glint of his fangs and the fire in his eyes burned so hot he was blinded of everything but for the conquest he sought. He brought himself closer to her, pausing when he was well within the girl's range of vision so that he could savor the look of fear in her eyes when she realized what awaited her, and he would not be disappointed.

Kagome lifted her eyes from the ground, only to find herself locked in the crimson hold of Sesshomaru's gaze. She drew in a startled breath of fright, her eyes wide with unveiled terror, and in her chest her heart beat wildly to send her blood surging through her veins in a final effort to allow her flight. But she could not run anymore, and she knew it. All she could do was remain where she was, her eyes locked with Sesshomaru's, and her mind refusing to give her any thoughts that would help her out of this horrible situation.

She shivered violently, but instead of her body recognizing her fear, it pulsed with wanting heat. She couldn't understand. She was terrified. She knew what it was that Sesshomaru wanted from her, and she knew that there was nothing she could do to stop him. But she didn't want this! Why was her body betraying her in such a way? Why would it call out to him in a way that would only drive him forward to her?

"Please," her voice cracked with fearful sobs and tears began spilling from her eyes, "Please Sesshomaru, this isn't you. Please stop this!"

For a moment when he heard the fear in her voice and caught the scent of her tears, Sesshomaru managed to pull back against the insanity that had gripped him; but when the beast caught the scent of the girl's arousal it was unleashed again with intensity. Sesshomaru fought against it with everything he could. He didn't want this! He didn't want to take a human wench in the way his body was demanding him to! And, surprising as it was, he realized that he didn't want it to be him that would cause this girl such pain. She was so strong, so filled with fire and spirit, so compassionate and kind; but this would break her, and he didn't want it to happen!

But still his body moved forward, driven by a madness he could not control. His steps were jerky and hesitant as he battled with himself for control, but still he could not stop it. The fires within him were raging, filling him with their inescapable heat, demanding that he complete what he had set out to do. He could not control the effect it had over his body, he could not stop the madness with reason or will or any strength that he possessed. He had been condemned to walk this path, to take the innocence of this pure soul, and he could do nothing to stop it.

Kagome saw him moving towards her, and she knew that if she didn't do something now that she would not get another chance. She straightened herself on her knees, bracing against what was coming, but as she did so she caught sight of something that she knew would set her free, would set them both free.

She could see it, see the power surging off of it in waves, see the way it had bound him to its will; and she knew, she knew it had been another of his precautions, another of his safeguards, another of his ways to not only protect her but also himself. Sometimes she really hated that man. But mostly she hated the fact that she could never tell them that she knew, never tell them who it was who had truly brought them all together; and once she knew his secret, she couldn't tell them what it was or how it would change them all.

She had wanted to, so many times she had wanted to tell them; but she just couldn't. They wouldn't have believed her anyways, and even if they did, he did not want it to be known. He needed for them to discover the truth on their own, and so she kept his secret, his confidence, never revealing the truth that she knew. But now she had no choice. This time he had gone too far.

Kagome brought herself slowly to her feet so that her movements would not aggravate the out of control youkai before her. She kept her stance relaxed and submissive, speaking to the beast in body language, telling him that he had her where he wanted her. With slow and deliberate steps, she approached Sesshomaru. She heard his low rumbles of satisfaction, no doubt released when he believed his bitch was ready to give herself over to him; and she did nothing to contradict that belief.

When she had moved close enough to him that she could reach out to him, she lifted her head from its demure, lowered position to look at him, but at the same time she tilted her head slightly to the side to reveal to him her neck and maintain her submissive posture. His eyes were bleeding crimson and his lips were parted slightly, revealing his deadly fangs as he drew in his ragged breaths. She knew what he wanted from her, and she knew that if she didn't play along that she would never get close enough to do what was needed.

She lifted her hands from her sides and placed them lightly on his chest just beneath the covering of his armor. His skin was on fire, burning her hands even through the silken fibers of his garment, but Kagome forced herself to keep calm and to not flinch away from him. His rumbling growls were coming out in such force that she could feel the vibrations shaking through her body and stirring the air around them into unrest. He was pleased with her submission, she knew, and now it seemed he was waiting, or perhaps demanding, that she give a more substantial display of her acceptance of him.

Kagome drew in a deep, steady breath, said a quick prayer in her head that this plan of hers would work, then allowed her hands to begin slipping down the rippling curves of his defined stomach. Good lord, but it was perfection! She could feel her body reacting to him, feel the heat pooling in her abdomen, feel her legs beginning to wobble in excitement and anticipation; but unlike Sesshomaru, her mind was still controlling her actions.

She held his eyes as her hands slipped lower, taking the long sash tied tightly around his waist in her grasp. A wicked smile began to form on his lips, and she furiously fought down the shiver of fear that wanted to envelop her. She focused all of her concentration into loosing the knot in his sash, keeping her motions slow and deliberate, and never letting her eyes leave his.

A few times, her hands brushed across his throbbing length, and she couldn't suppress her slight gasps or trembles of desire. But despite her reactions, she forced herself to stay focused, ignoring her wanting and the treacherous thoughts and images her mind was supplying her with, that all revolved around how wonderful it would be to allow her body to wrap around his swollen, heated length.

Her arousal was thick, but it seemed to calm him to know that she would be willing to accept his advances. She used his distraction to her advantage, knowing that with her so close that the sweet spices his nose was picking up would cloud his mind.

Finally she managed to remove his sash. She held it tightly for a moment, keeping it in place against him so that she could shift the fabric to give her access to what she sought. When it was finally in her grasp, she ripped away from him, taking with her the fang that had caused all of this madness. With astonishing speed for her mortal body, she managed to throw the blasted fang deep into the woods before Sesshomaru could react to her movements.

She turned back to him then, her breathing short and panicked, and her fear of the repercussions of her actions clearly visible. But Sesshomaru did not make any move against her. His body had gone rigid, and his focus diverted away from her as he confronted his internal battle.

The raging beast within him had quieted, and the fires of his desire cooled. With hardly any effort, Sesshomaru locked down his beast once more and sealed away the madness of his wild spirit. He came back to himself, back from brink of madness, back to the world of reason where his baser instincts would no longer control him.

When he finally had pulled himself together enough to take in his surroundings, the first thing he saw was the little miko. She was trembling lightly in fear and trepidation, her sapphire eyes wide and glazed over slightly with unshed tears. He closed his eyes slowly, willing the redness to bleed from his vision. When he opened them again, nothing remained of the wild fires, and placid gold had taken dominance. He heard the miko sigh heavily in relief and watched as her body relaxed. But she had some serious explaining to do.

"Miko, what did you do?" he demanded, forcing his tone to be steady as to not reveal his inner turmoil.

"I did nothing," she hissed out, "Perhaps you should ask your father the next time you see him."

"Are you daft, woman? My father is dead."

Kagome scoffed slightly at that as she lifted her hand to brush her water-logged hair back from her face. "Sometimes it is hard to see where truth ends and where fiction begins," she said before she turned from him and started in the direction she had thrown Tenseiga. "One can not always trust what they see with their eyes," she told him as she walked, "For sometimes what can be seen is only what we are being permitted to see."

She leaned down to collect the discarded fang, scowling slightly when she felt its pulse of power in her hands. She clutched the fang tightly to her chest as she turned back to Sesshomaru. "Your father was a brilliant man and a strategist without compare. Even in death he was still not defeated. You know that Tetsusaiga keeps Inuyasha's demon blood in check, but what none of us knew until today was that Tenseiga has the power to allow your beast to run free."

Kagome could tell that Sesshomaru was about to remark on her statement, but she wasn't about to listen to how preposterous he thought the whole thing was or to hear his demands for further explanations, so she cut in before he could say anything.

"I know you want an explanation, and I suppose that the time has come for me to finally start giving them. But I can't stay out in this rain for any longer."

The rain continued to pour, drowning the earth beneath its unrelenting streams. The wind blew wildly, whipping the placid waters into furious torrents of destruction. Trees bowed against the onslaught, their branches heavy with the moisture and bent dangerously in the gusting winds. And from out of the darkened sky, bright flashes of white fire streaked down to the earth in jagged lines to scorch and destroy anything laying in their path. Thunder split through the howl of the winds and the rush of the rain in furious cracks and rumbling bangs.

The storm was intense, and every living thing had escaped from the fury into their protective shelters…Well, everything except for one rain-soaked miko and a demon Lord who had been pulled into the terrible storm by the will of one long dead.

Kagome shivered violently against the chill of the drenching rains and the blowing winds. She wrapped her arms around herself as best she could to keep warm, but with the Fang of Heaven clutched tightly to her chest and her having absolutely no intention of letting it out of her grasp any time soon, her efforts were insignificant at best.

But she resolutely shoved away her discomfort and the aching chills spreading through her body to focus on the path ahead. She knew that she needed to reach shelter, and so she couldn't give in to her body's protestations as she walked hurriedly through the wind and rain and across the muddied earth. Many times her footing slipped and she was forced to slow to cross an unstable section of sliding earth or a rushing stream of water that was flowing down from high ground to the rivers and lakes of the valleys beyond the forest.

It amazed her how far she had come in her flight, but she didn't have time to be pleased with her athletic abilities because now that she needed to return from whence she had came, the distance she had separated herself from her shelter was a major obstacle. Silently, she was cursing herself for running so blindly away from shelter, cursing the weather for being so unforgiving, cursing Sesshomaru for loosing his renowned control, but mostly she was cursing that blasted dog that had caused all of her problems from the start.

What was it about her that attracted so many K-9's? Did she look like she worked in a pound? Did she have doggie biscuits sticking out of her back pockets? Did she smell like some giant chew-toy? Actually, scratch that one, she had no interest in thinking about being anything that those dogs could amuse themselves with. Unfortunately though, it wasn't so easy to dismiss that she was just that: the play thing of an overly powerful dog.

He was using her, he had always planned it so; and she hated him for it. Her duty, her responsibility to the Shikon, her war with the dark one that wanted the power of the jewel to bring him even more corrupt power, her connection to the past and to the hanyou boy that she had released from his prison of wronged love; all of it was because of him. That damned dog. He thought he could do whatever he wanted and that everyone would simply play their parts. He thought she would be willing, that she would be pleased with all of the power that had been left to her even after all this time.

Oh, but how wrong he was. Because she was Kagome. She was not the woman that he knew. She was not the priestess that was willing to give up everything just to see his final wish granted. She was not anyone's plaything!

So lost in her angry and frustrated thoughts and in her concentration on the path ahead of her, Kagome was startled when she felt a weight settle around her shoulders. She stopped in her tracks and reached up quickly to grasp at it. She was shocked to find that her fingers sunk deeply into soft fur. She stood still in shock for a moment, but eventually it registered in her addled mind that the fur draped over her shoulders was the pelt that was usually worn by Sesshomaru.

She turned to him slowly, a light pink blush surfacing on her cheeks. She had completely forgotten that he was still with her. Actually, now that she had been reminded of the fact, she was amazed that he was still with her. He was enduring the pounding rains of the storm to walk with her, even though he could have easily left her behind to find shelter.

She hadn't asked him to stay with her, she hadn't even expected him to; but still he had. And now he had offered her his pelt to keep her warm, to stop her body from its violent tremors.

She managed a small, embarrassed smile. "Thank you," she whispered to him, inclining her head slightly to hide her blush.

Sesshomaru though, didn't even acknowledge her. He had simply been ensuring that that girl would not fall ill before she would manage to tell him what he wanted to know. For him, the action was nothing more than safeguarding his assets, though he did take note of how ridiculous it was that the girl had managed to make herself an 'asset' to him.

It was frustrating to know that she could possess knowledge of his father which he did not. Actually, it was unacceptable, and he strongly resented the fact that he would be forced to wait for her to divulge the information that she knew. However, it was a necessity, and it wasn't like he didn't have the time. What was the point of being an immortal if you couldn't wait out a few nuisances?

The time had been good for him anyways. During the walk back to the shelter of the cave, he had used what information he possessed to try and come to a few of his own conclusions. First, there was Tenseiga's ability to connect with his baser instincts. That revelation answered why he had been so easily distracted. However, he had not been subject to such a thing before, which suggested that there was something specific regarding the miko that the fang had reacted to. But what? Was it her heat or her body's reaction to him? But that couldn't be it either, because the girl had been frightened, terrified even when she realized what was happening to him; so then why would her body have reacted in such a way? Was she somehow affected as well?

After realizing that no more productive reasoning could come from debating what had happened, Sesshomaru turned his attention to why. What was his father up to? Why would he want to steal away his control? Surely he realized how dangerous something like that could be. A youkai without control was reduced to a savage beast, a creature only satisfied by carnal pleasures; death, blood, and sex. It was a repulsive existence, one that a Taiyoukai such as himself should never have to experience. So why then would his father will such a fate upon him? And why would he choose the little miko to be the outlet for his beast?

He was getting nowhere, but at least his thoughts were managing to divert his attention from the little miko walking beside him. He may not have been in control of his body when he had advanced on the girl, but that didn't mean that he didn't remember clearly what had transpired. Her submission to him did not go unnoticed, nor did her gentle touch or the hot spices of her heated scent. Even now, though he was not distracted by her as he was before, she seemed to be drawing his attention.

She was a mystery, an enigma. She was unlike any other of her kind that he had yet to encounter. Her clothing and dialect were strange, suggesting of unusual origins. But what was more intriguing was the fire in her spirit, the conviction in her actions, the will she displayed by following her course and standing against all the terrible trials that had been placed against her in her search for the jewel, and the compassion she still held for all others. He had seen it before, yes, but he had never realized how much she had truly affected him. At least, he hadn't until he had been forced to admit it to himself.

Sesshomaru was brought out of his thoughts when he head the little miko give a short cry of excitement. She had finally realized their proximity to the cave, and had taken off in a light jog to reach the dry confines of the shelter. He watched her curiously for a moment, wondering if she was always so easily excitable, but then picked up his pace as well. After all, he really didn't like being wet.

Finally, rain-soaked and dripping, they made it to the back to the warm glow of the cave.

Kagome instantly made her way over to the central fire to try and warm herself up. It was still burning hotly, and the heat it offered her was a welcome relief from the chill of the wind and rains. She really didn't notice that Sesshomaru had left her to take care of his own state of disarray, but she took full notice when he finally approached her.

"Miko."

She looked away from the dancing fire only to gasp at the sight she was granted. Sesshomaru had removed his armor and his water-logged clothing, and was now dressed in a crisp and clean garment of deep navy which bore his insignia on the shoulder in stitched silver instead of blood read on stark white. His hair had been pulled back tightly to keep its dampness from soaking into his new clothes, but leaving his wild bangs to fall over his forehead in wisps of silver still shimmering from tiny droplets of moisture.

Kagome could feel the blush rising in her cheeks and the tightness building in her abdomen, but this time the reaction was all hers. She chastised herself harshly, putting a brick wall up in her mind that prevented her thoughts from wandering into the places labeled 'Bad girls only', and fought furiously to keep herself from binging any more embarrassment to her current situation. Of course, her efforts would be made all the more difficult when Sesshomaru continued.

"Your garments are no longer acceptable for wear."

Kagome took a moment to look down at her drenched clothing in confusion, finally asking, "And…what? It's not like I have anything else to wear."

"You will find acceptable apparel in my bedchambers."

"Your…what now?"

Sesshomaru fought against the urge to roll his eyes. The girl was a nuisance. Surely she had heard him correctly. But instead of repeating himself, he pointed in the direction of the room in the back of the cave before he moved away from the girl and towards the sitting area on the other side of the room.

Kagome watched Sesshomaru in disbelief as he moved away from her. No way, NO WAY the Ice Prince had just told her to go into his bedroom and change her clothes. But, since he didn't show any signs of acknowledging her further, Kagome cast a weary glance in the direction Sesshomaru had pointed her in.

'I wonder…' she thought to herself, 'What does a Lord's chambers look like? But do I really want to see what Sesshomaru keeps behind closed doors?' That thought produced a little shiver. 'There could be anything in there. And what kind of clothing would he have for me? This is just…weird.'

Still, figuring she didn't have all that much to loose, Kagome eventually got over her hesitations and began making her way to the back room. She paused only for a moment at the edge of the dividing wall, but took a deep breath and walked into the room.

It was…just a room. Small dressing table carved from the stone, a full closet of fine garments, a rack holding his armor, and a bed…a really big bed piled high with furs and pillows that rather made her want to run over and jump on it. Sadly, she forced herself to refrain from doing something so childish. But as she took in the sight of the overly comfortable bead, 'I just knew his ass never sat on anything short of exquisite,' her eyes fell on the beautiful kimono that had been laid out at the end of it.

It was exquisite. A deep lavender base offset by an outer layer of pale indigo in which the same crests that decorated Sesshomaru's garments were stitched into the fabric with golden thread.

"Wow," she whispered in awe as she stepped closed to run her fingers across the silken fabric. "I wonder why he…" but she cut herself off. It just wasn't productive to try and guess at why Sesshomaru would have such a thing…especially out loud considering he could probably still hear her even from the other side of the cave.

So, Kagome shrugged off her questions in favor of accepting the offer of dry clothes. She stripped off her drenched outfit, sighed at the loss of her undergarments as they too were removed to prevent from ruining the delicate fabric of the kimono, and then carefully pulled it into place. She shivered lightly in delight when the silky fabric brushed against her skin. She had never felt anything so wonderfully soft…well, with the exception of maybe Inuyasha's ears…and, of course, that fur pelt that Sesshomaru had given her earlier.

When she had finally dressed and fixed her hair into a tight knot to keep it away from the fabric of her dress, Kagome gathered her discarded pile of clothes carefully as to not get any water on her newly dried self and exited the room. She made her way back to the central fire and packed her soaked clothing into her equally soaked pack that she had dumped there earlier. She picked up the fang that she had set beside the fire basin, smiling gently as she lifted it knowing that since Sesshomaru had left it there he had trusted her word on the fang's effect on him. Then she turned and made her way over to where Sesshomaru had seated himself.

He wasn't looking at her when she had made it over to him, and she fidgeted nervously. For some reason she wanted for him to approve of how she looked in the clothes he had offered her.

"Sesshomaru," she called his name softly and waited for his attention.

Sesshomaru though had been trying to think of anything that didn't involve the little miko wearing the crest of his house. He kept telling himself that he had simply offered her the garment as a means to an end, but that still didn't help at all with the fact that she would be wearing it. All he could do was pray that the girl wouldn't think to ask him the question he had heard her start earlier, because he was not about to explain that one.

But he could not simply ignore her. To do such a thing would aggravate the overly emotional miko, and he needed her to be calm to answer his questions. So, he allowed himself to turn and acknowledge her. But when he did set his eyes on her, he realized that he probably would have been better off dealing with her hot temper.

She was absolutely stunning. The fabric flowed along her gentle curves like water, defining each depression and rise; and its colors brought out the striking blue of her eyes, and contrasted beautifully against the light pink that was staining her cheeks. In his long life, Sesshomaru had seen many courtiers dress themselves in rich robes and fancy jewels and paint their faces and bodies in a futile attempt to make themselves appear worthy of their positions; but this girl, even without the jewels and the paint, had blossomed before his eyes into a true princess.

He almost had to shake himself to stop his line of thought. He tried to pass it off as the proximity of the fang that the girl was carrying, but he was not one to delude himself; his thoughts were his and his alone.

"An improvement," he finally said to her, earning a delighted smile from the girl. "Sit," he gestured to the area across from himself, "We have much to discuss."

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything except perhaps my overactive imagination that won't sit still long enough to get over one block before it decides that it needs to do something else.


	4. Chapter 4

Override

"Where is that stupid girl?"

Inuyasha was not happy, not happy at all. Here he was, in the rain, getting soaked, all because that stupid miko/shard detector/reincarnation/friend of his had taken off earlier in the day and hadn't returned before the rains. Now he, he would been just fine leaving her out in the weather so that she would learn her lesson about wandering away from the group when he wasn't around to make sure she stayed with them (at least that was what he had told the monk, slayer, and kitsune when he had returned from his apparently not so secret meeting with Kikyo), but the rest of his traveling companions had demanded that he go out and find the troublesome girl.

And so, after vehemently telling them that the ONLY reason he would even consider going in search of the girl was to stop their mouths from flapping in such and annoying and painful way given his sensitive ears (and not admitting even to himself the possibility that he might indeed be worried about the girl that had become his closest friend since she had released him from his enchanted slumber upon the God Tree); he had set out in search of Kagome.

But then the rains had come. And it was a big one. The storm raged all around him, making tracking impossible and vision from his perches atop the forest trees as he leapt from one to the next in search of the girl exceedingly difficult. He was wet and cold and extremely frustrated with his lacking success.

"Feh," he huffed out as he settled atop of a random branch, "I bet she's gonna end up getting sick and I'm gonna have to take care of her stupid, weak, human body again."

A strange warming sensation suddenly pulsed through his chest. Good ol' demon blood, he thought to himself as he leapt from his perch with renewed vigor.

But the minutes slipped away, and still he was getting nowhere. Finally, having decided that if even the stupidest of creatures had already sought shelter from the torrential rains that Kagome would have most likely done the same, Inuyasha decided that he too should take a break from his search until things had settled down a bit.

He knew there was a place nearby. Of course, he also knew that that place completely covered with his bastard of a brother's scent, but hey, he might as well take the chance to piss of the Ice Prince while he had it. After all, it wasn't like Sesshomaru could hate him any more than he already did, so why not use this opportunity to rub his nose in the fact that he had yet to make good on his threat of killing him? Oh yeah, Inuyasha was sure going to enjoy spreading his scent all over Sesshomaru's not so secret abode. Even if he didn't know the trick to opening the passageway, that didn't mean that a good crack from Tetsusaiga wouldn't do the trick.

So, with a new mission in mind and his destination set, Inuyasha headed towards Sesshomaru's sheltering place. It didn't take him long, and soon enough he was standing before the waterfall concealing the entrance to the cave.

"Well that's just fuckin' perfect," he huffed in aggravation when he saw the faint glow of light coming from behind the falls.

The message was clear 'Occupied'. But there was something unusual about the whole thing. Why would the door be left open? And why had the ground in the clearing been so obviously tread on. Sesshomaru never left anything out of place, and hardly touched the ground when he walked.

'Feh, fuckin' bastard thinks he's king of the world or somthin'. It just aint him to be letting his pad get all messed up.'

Knowing something was out of place, Inuyasha made his way closer to the hidden entrance of the cave. He kept his hand tight against the hilt of Tetsusaiga, prepared for anything. But there was nothing that could have prepared him for what he found when he stepped carefully behind the waters of the waterfall.

He froze in shock when the scents left in the little cave reached his nose. Kagome had been here, and recently. And the more he focused on what he was smelling, the more he came to the realization that his Kagome hadn't just been here, but that she was still here. He growled lowly in anger and snapped towards the open passageway.

'I swear, if that bastard's done anything to her…'

But his thought would never be finished because he was struck dumb when he burst out of the short passageway into the main room of the cavern and the scene awaiting him was that of his best friend nestled in the arms, and more importantly, the lap of his bastard brother and wearing the garments designed for the chosen of his house.

Yup, there was no more thought required to know what to do in this situation.

"SESSHOMARU!! Get your filthy hands off of her!!"

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Sometimes, Kagome really hated being her. It wasn't bad enough that she was a teenage girl that had to deal with family and school and friends, or that she was the guardian of a cursed jewel that was coveted by demons and humans alike due to its immeasurable power, or that she had been pulled down a mystic well only to find herself 500 years in the past and facing off against creatures that she had only believed to exist in nightmares and fairy tales until she had been forced to meet with them face to face, or that she was the reincarnation of an ancient priestess with supreme spiritual powers and was constantly trying to live up to that immaculate image no matter how miserably she was succeeding especially since people had a walking talking version of such a priestess to compare her to; but on top of all that she had to be the most unlucky and not to mention clumsiest person she knew.

To sit: not all that difficult of a task really. But of course, she couldn't even pull that off without failing miserably. Somehow she had managed to get herself caught up in the flowing fabric of her dress and at the same time trip over the over-stuffed pillows on the floor and ended up tumbling over, only to find herself in a most awkward position in Sesshomaru's lap. And things had been made all the better for her when he had wrapped his arm around her to steady her and her body reacted with much more than embarrassment, something she just knew he had picked up on, and instead of letting her go he had held her where she was and was looking at her so intently with his incredible eyes of molten gold that she found herself completely unable to do anything except stare back at him in wonder.

Did I mention unlucky in that list of things that Kagome so hated about being her? Well, there was a reason for it. While Kagome was so distracted by Sesshomaru and he by her, they both failed to notice that they were no longer alone. That is until their moment was ruined completely.

"SESSHOMARU!! Get your filthy hands off of her!!"

Kagome gasped in startled disbelief when she heard Inuyasha's very angry voice bellowing out. She tried to turn to him, but she found that she was being held fast. Sesshomaru's arm had tightened around her so tightly that his hold was boarding on painful, and she could feel the deep, angry vibrations shaking through his chest as he growled menacingly at the intruder. Kagome frantically searched her mind for something that would be able to ease the tension out of this situation, but when she looked up at Sesshomaru and saw the crimson bleeding into his eyes she realized that her options were very few.

But she wasn't about to let things turn to blows because of her. She realized that Sesshomaru was being possessive with her by the way the he had tightened his hold on her and drew her closer to him. As his control was slipping away from him because of her clumsy act that had brought Tenseiga so close to him, his instincts were demanding that he protect what was his at all costs. She knew that as things were, Sesshomaru would not hold back against his brother as he had so often in the past, and she couldn't allow that to happen.

So, she did the only thing she could think of that would be able to distract him enough for her to loosen his grip on her so that she could remove the source of his waning control. She pulled herself up in front of him, blocking his view of Inuyasha, and pressed her lips firmly to his.

Hot…hot, hot…and burning hot! Ohhh but he tasted so good! No wonder relationships of humans with youkai were so frowned upon…it was jealousy, pure and simple. He tasted like forbidden fruit, no apple of destiny but sweet ambrosia itself. She could have lost herself in that burning kiss, lost herself in the way her senses were on fire with want and need and her heart raced in exhilaration. She could feel the way her powers surged up around her in response to his flaring aura, feel the way the two forces collided with an intensity she had never known leaving in their wake a stillness of stolen breath and pure ecstasy.

She moaned in bliss when his mouth parted and he drove into her with his hot tongue, devouring her, consuming her with his hunger. But even as she wanted to loose herself in the sensations he invoked in her, she knew that she could not. This was not him, this was not what he wanted, and though he may not have been able to control himself against his actions, she was still in control of her own.

Kagome used Sesshomaru's distraction to shift her arm from where it had been held against him and maneuver the fang in her grasp away from him. Without pause in the searing kiss between them, she managed to throw the fang towards Inuyasha and away from its hold on Sesshomaru. She could feel his body stiffen beneath her, and slowly, carefully, she pulled back from him.

He was still holding her close to him, not letting her pull away completely. And even as the redness bled slowly from his eyes, he did not move to release her. Kagome blinked slowly to try and pull herself away from his intense gaze, her tongue sweeping out dazedly to lick her lips. But somewhere in the back of her mind she realized that this was not the time for her to figure out why it was that Sesshomaru would still hold her even after his desire had been cooled or why she did not want him to let her go.

"Sit."

The word left her lips as nothing but a whisper, but the crash of Inuyasha's body against the unforgiving stone of the cavern's floor seemed to break through the haze surrounding them. Sesshomaru blinked lazily, his attention finally being turned to the hanyou that had barged in on them. When he saw the boy face-first in the stone and heard his angry growls, he allowed one eyebrow to lift in curiosity as he turned back to the little miko still held against him.

Kagome smiled coyly when she realized what Sesshomaru was asking her with that gesture. "To keep him from acting too brashly," she told him.

"It would seem," Sesshomaru informed her as he lifted her from his lap, "That you have that affect on many."

Kagome blushed heatedly at his words, but since he had finally released her, she used her freedom to do things more productive than turning into an undignified pile of womanly goo. She turned and made her way over to the subdued hanyou, crouching down next to him and doing her best to ignore his angry rumblings.

"Inuyasha," she called his name softly, quieting his growls somewhat, "I'm sorry, but there's something you need to understand."

"Understand?" the hanyou growled out angrily as he began pushing himself away from the ground and the heavy cast of the spell binding him there. "Oh I understand alright," he spit as he finally managed to look at her, his amber eyes narrowed in fury. "A hanyou isn't good enough for you so you went out and fucked that bastard!"

"SIT BOY!" Inuyasha was once again planted face-first against the unyielding stone. Kagome stood in a huff and continued yelling down at him. "I can't believe you could be so utterly stupid! SIT! I would never simply go out and 'fuck' someone! SIT! Can't you ever think with your head instead of your over-inflated ego? SIT! And since when have you even cared what I do with other guys? You have Kikyo and she always wins out over me! So don't you even try to tell me who I can and can't be with! SIT! Even if you are completely wrong because there is nothing, NOTHING going on between Sesshomaru and I! SIT! So when you manage to dig yourself out of your stupid-hole, then maybe we can try this again without your big mouth getting in the way of what I have to say! SIT!"

The last one was just for good measure. She couldn't help it, he pissed her off…well, that, and her body was still a little too flushed for her to be thinking completely clearly. She spun away from the subjugated hanyou and began marching back over to the fluffy pillows with the sole purpose of plopping herself down onto one of the cushions to brood. However, before she managed to get there, she caught sight of Sesshomaru's far too amused smirk.

"You!" she yelled at him as she lifted an accusing finger in his direction. "You wipe that smirk off your face right now, buster. There is absolutely nothing funny about this situation! And don't you think that I wouldn't think twice about making a subjugation necklace for you too!"

"Miko…"

"What?" she cut him off. "Do you think you frighten me, Sesshomaru? Give me a break! Twice today I have been forced to appease your beast so that it wouldn't try and make me its new play thing. Do you think that the ice is any more frightening than the fire? Well I'll tell you, it's not! So, as far as I'm concerned both you and your brother can keep your stuffed egos to yourselves and your mouths shut because I have something to say!"

And with that, Kagome stomped over to the pillows and plopped herself down in a huff, waiting, none too patiently, for Sesshomaru to stop glaring daggers at her and for Inuyasha to pull himself out of the hole that he had dug for himself.

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He hadn't even thought about, it was simply a reaction to catch the girl when he saw her tumbling towards him. Of course, later he would wonder why he had not simply moved and allowed her to take the fall, but what was done was done, and now he had to deal with the repercussions.

She was so light, her body so small and fragile against his larger frame; and yet she seemed to fit with him perfectly, her soft curves molding against him and her delicate skin so yielding under his touch. He could feel the warming pulses coursing through him, and somewhere he thought he knew that the reaction wasn't his, but somewhere too he knew that he still had the ability to release her from his hold. And yet he didn't, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. She had captivated him with her gentle essence yet again, held him still in the sparkling sapphire of her eyes which looked upon him with wonder, and opened his mind to possibilities he would never have even allowed contemplation.

Having her so close, feeling the heat of her body as it reacted to his, knowing the sweet scents that reached his nose as a gift only she could give to him, and experiencing the rising up of her pure energy to calm and soothe the wild fires of his raging spirit; made him want for more of what she could offer, for all of it.

"SESSHOMARU!! Get your filthy hands off of her!!"

The hanyou's sudden outburst was like a battering ram slamming against the walls of his control. In only a second every barrier holding out against Tenseiga's will was shattered into nothingness, and once again he was thrown into the consuming madness. His instincts were in control once more, reason having no place in the animal's reign.

Protect what was his. Destroy the threat against his bitch. Nothing else mattered.

But his beast is a rather stupid thing, lacking any ability to concentrate past its immediate goals. And when the little miko had pulled herself up to him and pressed her lips to his, any and all thoughts of destruction were replaced by those of conquest and rapture.

Even through the wild haze set upon him, Sesshomaru could feel the electricity that burned through him due to her touch. He felt the fires of desire raging, but he could also feel the way the she managed to sooth away the burn with her gentle essence. His body may not have been his to control in that moment, but even he, with all of his control, would have found it exceedingly difficult to pull away from her when he felt her body tremble with exhilaration and heard her soft moan of pleasure.

Her taste burned into his memory; a sweetness like nothing he had ever known. And even when he could feel the beast receding and was finally able to break away from his lustful fever, he found that he was reluctant to part with this piece of heaven, with the angel that had fallen into the arms of the devil he knew he was.

Of course, as in all things, especially those never meant to be; nothing can last forever.

Sesshomaru was brought back to reality when he heard the crashing down of a body upon the hard rock of the cavern floor. He allowed his attention to turn finally to the hanyou filth that had intruded upon his private sanctuary, finding a sick amount of pleasure in the way his body had been so firmly and no doubt painfully acquainted with the stone. It served him right, after all.

He was pleased with the little miko's control over the whelp, and his pleasure was heightened even further when he had watched her subjugate the hanyou repeatedly due to his outrageous stupidity and lack of basic reasoning. Of course, he did have more knowledge about what had made the whelp think that he had mated with the miko, but still, had the boy not spent enough time with the overly-emotional girl to know that opening his mouth to spout the first thing that came to mind would not end well for him.

Though, the miko did have the tendency to overreact to things. And she had taken her angry outburst a few steps too far when she had suggested that she could ever, EVER be able to subdue him in the same manner as his worthless half-breed of a brother. No matter what lenience he would think to give the girl, she was still in desperate need of learning her place.

Unfortunately, that experience would have to wait for another time. The girl was finally prepared to give the answers that he wanted to hear. And whether or not the whelp was present to offer his brand of loud, unproductive, and not to mention entirely annoying input; he supposed that the girl would likely have demanded his presence anyways.

So, he abandoned his thoughts of what he was going to do to the girl, putting them away for later when he could concentrate on her punishment more acutely; and seated himself comfortably for the coming explanations.

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything except perhaps my overactive imagination that won't sit still long enough to get over one block before it decides that it needs to do something else.


	5. Chapter 5

Explanations

"I have had my suspicions for a while; perhaps from the moment I was able to pull Tetsusaiga from its resting place, perhaps even before then when I saw his massive remains in the world between the living and the dead. Your father, Inu no Taisho, the great Dog General, the youkai of such renowned power and presence; could not be beaten by something so simple as death. If even in his fang could remain the power to bring back souls from beyond the grave, then how could it be possible that he would be taken from this world by something as trivial and as death, and especially at the hands of a human who could not even fathom the greatness which he was facing?

But power was only one of his blessings. He excelled at many other things as well: battle, strategy, deduction, preparation, securing his assets, and what I believe to be his favorite calling was his ability to make women, regardless of their race or position or duty, to swoon at his feet and offer up to him all that they were.

Don't say it, because I know that you want to contradict me, but there is nothing that you could say that would make me believe any different. He had a mate of his own kind, your mother, Sesshomaru. And he also had a mistress, your mother, Inuyasha. But what neither of you knew, the secret that I have stumbled upon, the secret that he would wish for me to keep, was that he had also found a strong connection with a very powerful miko.

She was beautiful, powerful, a temptation that he simply could not ignore; but she would also be his saving grace. She would see to it that even in death he would not be defeated. She offered up everything to him, gave him her heart and her soul, sacrificed her current life to save what remained of his spirit, and returned again to ensure that his will would be fulfilled. Her spirit, reincarnated after centuries, guarded his secret and his life-force until the time would come where he could be brought back again. And then, when that life had come to an end, her spirit moved on to the next guardian, to the next that would be in service to his will.

I hate that man. I hate that he would think that I would so willing give him what he desired. But there is nothing that I can do to change the course that he has laid out for all of us. The time is nearing when his will can finally be realized, when at last he can be returned to this world.

You see, while it may seem that he is dead, while you have seen with your own eyes that his remains rest beyond this world; what we have been permitted to see is only part of the story, only a fraction of the truth. Did you never wonder why it was that his bones would rest at the boundary between this world and the next? I had, but I could not understand why. Why would they remain there? Why, if he had already crossed over? What was the point of leaving behind that part of his being in a place where none but the dead or the ones he had beseeched his legacy to could travel?

I knew it could not be so simple as to have a secure resting place for Tetsusaiga, for he had protected the fang against all others but for his hanyou son. But even Inuyasha could not draw the fang. In fact, there would be no one that would be able to draw it from where he had left it but for the very priestess that had sent what remained of his body to rest there in the first place, or if not her then one reincarnated from her. In other words, without me, Tetsusaiga would have forever remained in its state of slumber.

But why would he have such precautions in place? The answer is very simple. He wanted for me to be protected.

His greatest weapon, forged from his fang, would never be released into the world without the consent of guardian of his spirit. And without the desire to see her protected, to use his strength to fight for her and her wishes, Inuyasha would never have been granted the ability to wield the fang. You father knew that Inuyasha's life would be full of pain and of horrible trials, and because of that he knew he would seek out whatever power that he could to lessen the hurt of his isolation and his rejection by both the worlds of man and youkai. But he also knew that Inuyasha's human heart would not allow him to bring the gentle priestess to harm; he knew that you would find in her the same light that had captivated him so long ago and that you would not strike out against her.

But still he would do more. Tetsusaiga would not only give to Inuyasha the strength to ensure his guardian's protection, but it would also keep her safe from the demon within him that he could not control. He knew of the dangers that the power running through your veins could pose to her, and so he found yet another way to safeguard her trust.

All of this, and still he was not finished, still he would do more. Sesshomaru, with you I think he played a most vicious game. To steal from you your control, to allow your beast to take over your body, to drive you to me using your darkest and most hidden desires, to force you into something of such importance without your consent or ability to deny it; it was wrong of him, it was so very wrong.

He must have known that you would not seek me out. He must have known that your pride would never allow you to want for a power not your own. And so he drove you to me in the way that he had so often allowed himself. With lust clouding your judgment, with passion's fire raging through your veins, with your will stripped away to leave you only with thoughts of your carnal desires. He wanted for you to take me as yours. It was his final safeguard. If you were to take me as your mate then you would never allow me to come to harm simply because your pride would demand that you rectify such an act.

He was using you; he has been using us all.

How? Why? Questions that I'm sure you want answered, and answers that I have been keeping from you for far too long.

The Shikon no Tama, the Jewel of Four Souls; it is not as we have been lead to believe. The four souls; thought only to be representations of the heart, the spirit, are in fact those of one being. When the four souls are combined, from them is born the spirit of one, and it is this one that we should have taken notice of. Why was it that when further attempts were made to create a false jewel that they were always in vain? Because those attempts were always based on the belief that the four souls would each come from a different being. But the truth is that they had always been that of the one.

The jewel offered such power to those that came into possession of it, power which could as easily create as it could destroy; just as it had been when he controlled that power himself. True, the light of the Shikon can be darkened by those with wicked intent, but then so too could his heart be darkened by such chaos and destruction. However, without the ability to control what would be done with the power contained within the jewel, there was nothing he could do to stop it.

But Naraku is a fool to believe that he could complete the Shikon and have his selfish wish because there is only one that was ever meant to wish upon it.

Only the one that had bound him could be the one to set him free again.

Midoriko, she was the creator of the Shikon, and still she would be its guardian. Through her reincarnated forms, myself as well as Kikyo; she watched over the jewel, always waiting for the moment to come when she could at last complete the destiny that they had written together.

In the moment when his life would have been taken from this world, when the demons had come to take what remained of his great power and to make it their own, Midoriko sealed your father's spirit, bound it to her will, forever protecting it and securing its presence in this world. The Shikon no Tama, the Jewel of Four Souls; is in fact only the soul of one: Inu no Taisho.

And so, between the two of them; they had secured his future, ensured that a time would come when he could return to the world of the living. That is secret of the jewel. That is why no matter how many who seek the jewel for its fabled might and who believe that they could be granted a wish of their heart's desire; that such a thing would never come to pass.

Only she can release the seal that has bound his spirit within, and that means that now her duty has been passed to me.

I wish I could say that things were different. I wish that I didn't know all that he done to direct our fates, to bend the paths of our lives to his will. But I simply can not deny it. All of my suspicions were confirmed when he came to us after So'unga had been sent to its place in the netherworld. He must have known that I would recognize the presence of the Shikon; he must have realized that Naraku too would feel the drawing off of power from the jewel as he used it to convey his message. But it didn't matter to him. I suppose he wanted me to know, perhaps he wanted me to tell you that his message held a hidden meaning.

'I have nothing more to teach you.'

He spoke to his sons. He spoke to you both of how proud he was that you had come so far. But what he was really saying was that now that you had finally found the way to work together and that you were at last in the company of the miko of the Shikon; that you both would finally realize that you had the power to set him free, that you would come to understand that he had not left this world and that he was still counting on you to finish the destiny that he had so long ago foretold.

He leaves us with the duty to fight to see that his power can not be used for wicked gains, and he knows that we can not deny that without a guardian to ensure the safety and the purity of that power that it would cause destruction unimaginable. And so we can not deny that the wish must be made, that I must fulfill his wishes, because the consequences of not doing such would be grave.

He has written our destinies for us, stolen from us our ability to choose our own path. And though I would say that I hate him for it, I know that what he has done was not out of ill will or malicious intent. He was a great man, a great leader; and I believe he does have a greater purpose for which he would choose these means and this end.

And now, all that remains for us to do is to see it through to the end. We will fight Naraku, we will see his evil erased from this world, the jewel will be completed, and I will make the wish that I am meant to make. It is strange though, I had always thought that destiny was something willed by the gods; but now I find myself in a fairytale of fate that was written by a dog."

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That was a rather interesting way to get the story across. I actually wasn't planning on writing it like that, but after the first paragraph I rather like it so I just continued. Anyways, that's it for explanations, now all I have left to do is write that lemon. So, here goes me getting out my juice maker ;P

I suppose that one day I might think to continue this story, but not right now. I've really got an itch to make a go at finishing 'Tears of the Fallen'. So, one more chapter and that's all for this piece.

Cheer all.

Shadow

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except perhaps my overactive imagination that won't sit still long enough to get over one block before it decides that it needs to do something else.


	6. Chapter 6

Backtrack

Sometimes, Kagome really hated being her. It wasn't bad enough that she was a teenage girl that had to deal with family and school and friends, or that she was the guardian of a cursed jewel that was coveted by demons and humans alike due to its immeasurable power, or that she had been pulled down a mystic well only to find herself 500 years in the past and facing off against creatures that she had only believed to exist in nightmares and fairy tales until she had been forced to meet with them face to face, or that she was the reincarnation of an ancient priestess with supreme spiritual powers and was constantly trying to live up to that immaculate image no matter how miserably she was succeeding especially since people had a walking talking version of such a priestess to compare her to; but on top of all that she had to be the most unlucky and not to mention clumsiest person she knew.

To sit: not all that difficult of a task really. But of course, she couldn't even pull that off without failing miserably. Somehow she had managed to get herself caught up in the flowing fabric of her dress and at the same time trip over the over-stuffed pillows on the floor and ended up tumbling over, only to find herself in a most awkward position in Sesshomaru's lap. And things had been made all the better for her when he had wrapped his arm around her to steady her and her body reacted with much more than embarrassment, something she just knew he had picked up on, and instead of letting her go he had held her where she was and was looking at her so intently with his incredible eyes of molten gold that she found herself completely unable to do anything except stare back at him in wonder.

Why wasn't he letting he go? Why was he continuing to stare at her with those impossibly magnificent eyes? What was he thinking behind that mask of indifference? And why, for goodness sakes, could she not keep her body from heating up in a most noticeable and embarrassing way. Surely, she thought, he would have noticed what was happening to her. So then why would he continue to hold her, continue to allow her body to react to his, when he had always held such contempt for her kind?

Tenseiga. It was whispered in the back of her mind. It was controlling him again, driving him to distraction, forcing him to allow for this to happen.

Kagome tried to move, tried to pull the fang out from where it had been trapped between their bodies. She had hoped that by removing it that things could go back to normal again, but he had different ideas.

Sesshomaru tightened his hold on her, forcing her still and trapping her arm against him so that she could not pull Tenseiga away.

"Tenseiga's will, the will of my father, it is for me to make you my own."

His voice was calm, contemplative; and he held her eyes in a way that made escaping the truth of her answer impossible.

"Yes," she whispered, hoping, praying that he would not take offense that she, human that she was, was the one that his father would wish him to be with.

"You were affected as well. Your body reacted with desire in response to his will."

"Yes. The part of my spirit that so long ago belonged to the priestess who loved your father with her entire being still reacts to his will."

"Then tell me, miko. Why do you react now if Tenseiga is silent?"

"I…I don't know."

That was what she said, but both of them knew it to be a lie.

"Perhaps then, you would like for me to show you why."

Kagome gasped at his words. She couldn't even begin to fathom what he was talking about, but he would soon wipe away all doubt from her mind. She watched, wide-eyed and completely in shock, as Sesshomaru leaned closer to her. Her body trembled with a mix of fear and expectation, and her thoughts had long since abandoned her.

He moved so close that she could feel his hot breath brushing softly against her lips, never one letting his eyes part from hers.

"Do you want to know what it means to be loved by the gods? Do you want to experience feeling and passion as only I can give it to you?"

Somewhere, Kagome could hear the shouts of her conscience, of logic and reason, hell even her mother was thrown into the mix; and they told her that she knew what the answer to that question should be, what it must be. And perhaps, had the circumstances been different, had she thought that she would ever be in this position, perhaps she would have been prepared to give that answer which she would later realize was the right one.

However, at the time, held tightly in Sesshomaru's grasp, feeling the heat of his body against hers, seeing in molten gold of his eyes the promise of what wonders awaited her, only one answer would come to her, only one answer.

"Yes."

And then her fate was sealed with a kiss.

His lips pressed against hers, claiming her mouth in a searing kiss that stole away all reservations and all hesitations. She moaned in bliss when she felt the hot fires ignite within her, spreading out to encompass her entire being. Her lips parted in invitation, asking for him to give her more, needing to have more. And he responded to her with hunger, driving into her mouth with his hot tongue, sweeping hers into the erotic dance of passion and fire.

She became lost in it, lost in the movement of his lips against hers, lost in the hot spices of his mouth, lost in the raging fires of passion. Her arms came up to wrap around his neck without thought, pulling him closer, needing, wanting. And she would be rewarded by the low growl of pleasure that he released that shook through her and sent shivers of delight to dance across her skin.

When he moved her to lie back against the soft pillows, she hardly recognized that she had moved. So driven were his hungry kisses that Kagome could do little else but try to keep up with him and try to remember to breathe. But what air he had stolen from her in his kiss, she would gain back again when startled gasps of pleasure would escape her lips upon feeling his hand moving over her body.

He was being so gentle with her, so careful not to hurt her; and at the same time his motions were strong and steady. His hand ran along her body with purpose, tracing carefully her delicate curves, but at the same time managing to part the delicate fabric that was keeping her from him. She moaned in bliss when she first felt the heat of his hand against her skin, but the burning heat would be cooled with light shivers when his claws would run along her flesh in soft strokes that would make her gasp again for air too long forgotten.

Her body burned from his touch, her lips ached to feel his kiss, and building with intensity that she had never known, a wanting throb was forming between her legs. She shifted out of need, pressing her hips up to meet with his, trying desperately to relieve the pressure. A low moan of desire left her lips when she felt him press back against her. She could feel his heated, throbbing length pressing against her, and her body quaked as she began pressing back, harder, more urgently.

"Please," she stole her lips away from him to beg that he help her relive the pressure.

His low growl made her moan with yearning when the vibrations of it spread through her, but again he captured her lips with his own; again he brought her into the hungered dance. Her plea to him though would not go unheeded. His hand slipped lower over her body, pausing only for a moment to caress her sensitized breast, squeezing it firmly until she gasped with pleasure, then bringing her down by allowing his fingers to float across its peak and to send shivers of ecstasy through her tiny frame.

Never did his lips leave hers, never did he let a moment pass where she would not gasp in pleasure or moan in bliss; but when his hand drifted even lower and finally came in contact with the moistened folds of her nether lips, he had her throwing her head back to scream out her pleasure when he plunged a finger forcefully into her heated core.

She hadn't even felt it when his sharp claws removed the evidence of her maidenhood, all she could feel was the way her body clamped down around him in need and the shuddering quakes of rapture that consumed her when he would press against her inner walls to stimulate her in places she had never known could bring out such intense pleasure.

Again he brought his lips to hers, and she responded to him with more passion than she had ever known. She needed to feel him, to taste him, to know all that he was and to have all he could give. Her hips began moving of their own accord, pressing against his hand to take more into herself, and he responded to her by filling her with yet another finger, stretching her in preparation for what was to come.

Her breathing was becoming labored. She could scarcely keep the air from one breath from being lost by the cries and moans of pleasure he was drawing from her with every one of his strong thrusts against her; but still she knew that this was not what she needed.

"Se…Sesshomaru…please…I…need…"

She didn't need to say anything more, he knew what it was that she needed. Slowly, carefully, he pulled his hand away from her tight passage; only to lift it to his lips to take in the taste of her. She watched him through her lust-fogged vision, his action drawing from her a deep moan of appreciation and desire. She had never seen anything so erotic, and when she saw the haze of red that bleed into his vision as he tasted her juices, it excited her beyond words to know that it had been her to bring him such carnal pleasure in only a simple taste.

When he leaned over her again, nearly all of the gold had been stripped from his eyes, leaving only burning crimson in its wake; but he had not been lost to the fires, it was only that they burned so hotly that they had forced themselves to the surface. She felt the pressure of his thick member pressing against her opening, and her hips pressed up against him to invite him to his conquest, but he held back from her, pausing one last time before he would take her.

"Do you ache for me, lust for me, give yourself only to me?"

"Yes."

"Then endless pleasure shall be yours as only I can give."

And with that he finally moved forward, pressing his thick, throbbing member deeply into her hot and waiting cavern. Kagome threw her head back to scream out her rapture. He was so big, he stretched her until she thought for certain that she would break beneath him, and yet still he pressed into her, and still her body allowed for his passage. He filled her so completely that she knew she could never again feel whole without him held so tightly within her. Her body fought to keep him with her, strained against his steady thrusts; but he would not be stopped and he continued to push into her, continued to pull away again.

Her whole body quaked beneath him in rapture, her muscles being sent into wild spasms of ecstasy that sent startling jolts of pleasure ripping through her. She had never dreamed she could feel as alive as he made her feel. And still what she was feeling was only the beginning. Deep within her she could feel the fires building towards something, rising up to crash against the walls holding her within this plane of existence. She was so close to being able to see what it was that lay beyond, so close to the feeling that waited just out of her reach.

"Oh god," she whimpered when her body tensed to prepare her for the end, and she held on to him with all her might.

"Yes…Oh gods…yes…SESSHOMARU!"

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Kagome snapped her eyes open and jolted into a sitting position. Her breaths were coming to her in startled draws as she fought to bring oxygen into her starved lungs. Her arm came up to wrap around her stomach, a futile attempt to soothe away the painful throb of want and need that would not pass her by.

She groaned deeply in disappointment and loss, her eyes drifting closed against the painful realization of truth.

"Pleasant dreams, miko?"

Kagome gasped and snapped her eyes open to look upon who had been speaking to her. She groaned again when her sight landed on Sesshomaru, knowing full well that he knew exactly what kind of dreams she had been having. But, being that there was nothing she could do to change what had been done, Kagome allowed herself to take in her surroundings. She was in a bed, but one that she had never seen before.

"Where am I?" she finally managed to ask of Sesshomaru.

"You are currently in the abode of this Sesshomaru. Your human frailties were even more pronounced than I had assumed, leaving you unconscious for an extended period of time."

"Unconscious…" Kagome shifted through her memories, desperately trying to grasp on to a time where she had slipped into unconsciousness. "I don't…understand."

Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow curiously at the girl. Momentarily he wondered if he had accidentally affected her mind by depriving it of oxygen for so long, and so, to determine if such a thing was so, he elaborated on his statement.

"You thought to question this Sesshomaru's honor by accusing him of lying. I simply sought to reprimand you for your actions. However, it seems I made a miscalculation regarding your fortitude."

Kagome stared at him in open disbelief. Had it all been…a dream?

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Alright all you hentai's our there; a lemon just as I said. I know it's a lot shorter than my last one, but it wasn't really planned so you get what you get. Still, I hope you've enjoyed.

Well, I suppose that anyone reading this on the fanfiction site will be asking just what the hell is going on, right? Well, here's the basic rundown. I had given four options for the readers to choose 1) And Explanation for Inuyasha's Entry, 2) Sesshomaru's thoughts when Kagome kissed him, 3) Skip straight to the explanations, and 4) Backtrack and remove Inuyasha's entry and insert a lemon. So, when I pulled all of the chapters together, there was no real way I could make it flow exactly right. But, I figured that it was close enough ;P

Well, anyways. I'm off.

Ta Ta

Shadow

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except perhaps my overactive imagination that won't sit still long enough to get over one block before it decides that it needs to do something else.


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